Spring 2007
Write On!

Banking on Stationery

In gift retail, as in most other businesses, it helps if you have an interesting story to tell. One gift shop that certainly does is 1st National Gifts, located in Skaneateles, NY. The shop opened its doors in 1991. It is on the ground floor of a historic bank building that first opened in 1928 as The National Bank and Trust Company of Skaneateles.

In addition to gift staples, such as home accessories and body-care products, the store stocks greeting cards from 25 different lines. Owner Christina Gary highly recommends visiting the National Stationery Show to find product lines that are new and trendy in the market. “This is the place to see what’s new, while it’s still new,” she says. “It is the place to learn about developing trends.”

In addition to stationery, 1st National Gifts stocks many upscale products, including accessories and luggage from Brighton, Portmeirion dinnerware, and a wide selection of Polish Pottery. Gary says the shop is well known for its selection of Judaic gifts, one of the most comprehensive in the region.

Greeting cards are attractive and high-volume components of 1st National Gifts’ merchandise mix. Gary sees them as an important part of her business. “I knew I needed to sell an affordable product that people need to buy on a repeat basis,” she says. Gary enjoys repeat business from customers who travel great distances several times a year to stock up on these cards. She is delighted when she hears a customer tell her: “I knew I’d find the right card here.”